James hekby retd



To all whom t may concern: Y

. Be it'known that I, JAMES HENRY REID, a citizen of the United States,'residing at 852 Mulberry avenue, in the city of Newark, county ofEssex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes of Securing Metal from Ores, of lwhich' thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to'the separation of metals from refractory orother ores and has forl one of its objects the isolation and refrom'refractory ore, Such as nickel-cobalt-silver ore, in a simpleeffectiveand leconomical manner and'comprises exposing action of a'comparatively high-melting- I -point metal, such thev ore to thecombined as iron, and electricity, in such a manner that the iron orotherinetal or ore disintegrator and metal absorber 'or securer, willdisrupt theore, facilitate the fusion of the silicious content,

in theA molten iron or like metal vehicle, from which'it can berecovered by the action of other metals, immiscible with ironor other:high melting-point inetal solvent or vehicle,

- -whereby the same is having greater affinity or solvent action forthelmetal primarily separated'from the'ore, for example silver, such aslead.`

Asfan example of the process and manner tionA f- "silver: from nickeland cobalt -containedy in "a nickel-'cobalt-silver ore4 infree orcombined state with nonmetallic elements, will-be taken, reference'beingdirected to the accompanying drawingswliich illustrate a form. ofapparatus 'for carrying out the'same in which, l"

Figure 1 is an elevation partly in Section l of'an electric furnaceforthe inltial treatcorresponding parts in the various views.

Referring tothe drawings'the numeral l designates'a furnaceshell or bodyprovided at the'top with theore feed or hopper2, for'y aremovable'meta'l" .collecting reservoir 3 at the bottom.

introducing the ore 'and'v Passing into 'the furnace are the fusibleelectrodes 4 and"5,insulated from the fur.-

nace body by and through suitable 'non-conf Specification of LettersPatent. Application led January 13, 1914.v Serial N o.

and combine i' f w-itli,'d1ssolve,or secu-re'fthe ore metal, such asn1ckel,-cobalty and silver 1n the case noted,

performed, the separal 'device (not shown).

f suitable connections for communicatmg the electrlc current when JAMESHENRY REID, or' NEWARK, NEW JERSEY. i PEooEss'or sEciIRING METAL FROMoREs.

Patented'Aug. 22, 1916. 811,805.y

ductive bearings 6 and 7. The furnace-shell is provided with a fume orgas outlet 8 through which the gaseous by-products may be withdrawn bysuction and recovered. The.

lowerV portion of the furnace body is provided with a water inlet 9 andthe removable metal reservoir with the water outlet 10 controlled by thevalves whereby water may be passed into, through, and out of the metalreservoir to quench the metal as it falls and remove in suspension 1land 12 respectively,

particles of silicious matter disrupted from the ore metal. Theelectrodes 4 and 5 are connected with suitable contacts (not shown)whereby an electric current may beA communicated to and' passedtherethrough. This furnace is employed for the initial treatment of orewhereby it is dis upted upon falling on and between 'tlfe ele rodes tand 5 from the feed hopper, 2 while an electric current is passedtherethrough resulting in the fusion of the ele'ctilodes 4 and and theunion of the same with the metal of the ore which falls and is collectedin the watercooled reservoir 3.

In Fig. 2 is 'shown an apparatus whereby the metal collected in the inFig. l is separated and comprises the shell or body ll lined withsuitable refractory material.. This furnaceor metal separating device isrotatable aboutfa vertical artis and is provided with a series. pfroller bearings 26 which runfon the track 27. The'rotatable separator isprovided with an annular gear 14, on the underside and` adapted tol,engage the cog-wheel. l5 `of the shaft 16 which is revolved by theelectric motor 17 whereby the separator may be revolved at any desiredspeed.l The separator is provided also witharefractory lining 18 and thecover 19 'from' which the fumes and gas discharge 20 the fumes and gasesmay the separator by a suction The separator is also provided `with Atheelectrodes' 21 and 22 whereby the contents of the separator'may be fusedorl maintained in a molten condition through the employment extendswhereby berem'oved from tionl Theelectr'odes being in contact'with ordevices (not shown) desired.

In carrying out the process for the separation of nickel and cobalt fromsilver combinations in the ore electrodes of cast iron of an electriccurrent during the process'of'metal separali. l "I reservoir 3 shown areemployed. The ore is granulated and placed in the feed hopper 2. Wateris placed in or supplied to reservoir 3 and continuously suppliedthereto through the water inlet pipe or conduit 9 controlled by thevalve 23 and discharged through the overflow or outlet pipe or conduit24. Electricity, is thea passed through the electrodesV 4 and andcausedl to arc between them by drawing them apart, the preferablecurrent being of alternating and polyphase form or into thewater-containing lreservoir 3 and is quenched while the silicious ornonmetallic substances are largely washed away by the owing stream ofwater. At the same time that the fused iron of the electrodes seizes thefree metal in the ore it combines with oxygen or other nonmetallicelements combined with the ore metal to be separated thereby deoxidizingor reducing them to metallic state while the metal thus released alsounites with the excess of iron which fuses fromthe electrodes;l theamount of electrode or iron which thus fuses 'corresponds to4 aboutlone-third of theweight-of the ore treated. v l

When the ore hasall been thus treated and the metals have beenv'unitedwith the metal of the electrodes and accumulated in thereservoir 3 the electricv current iskshut off, the iow of water throughthe reservoir stopped by closing the'fvalve 23, the receptacle orreservoirv 3 removed from the furnace and the metal collected thereinsecured. This metal is'then placed inthe separator shown in Fig. 2 andfused, where it is maintained in a fused or melted condition AbyVpassing electricity therethrough by means'of the electrodes 21 and 22.

When the metal is properly. melted and so. maintained in the separator,lead 1s Aadded in 'proportion of two parts of lead to every part ofsilver in the iron, the whole separator is then given a, means of themotor 17 which actuates thel shaft 16 and the cog-wheel 15 which engagesthe annular gear 14: and causes the separator to revolve. This revolvingof the separator is continued for five or ten minutes in order to givethe lead achance to circulate and come in contact with all the silver,gold, or-

similar metal in the iron which is soluble in the molten lead and todissolve 1t, at which circulatory motion byA time lthe revolving motionis stopped and the lead with its captured metals, such as silver, gold,etc., is allowed to settle after which it is tapped out and the ironresidue recast into new electrodes while the silver and gold are/finallyseparated from the lead by any well known means. lVhen the ironeventually becomes suitably saturated with nickel and cobalt after reuseseveral times it is treated in such a manner that the nickel and cobaltare secured or separated therefrom. While this separating action isgoing on in the rotary separator any fumes or vapors which may beevolved are removed by exhaustion through the outlet or exit pipe orconduit 20.

The electric contacts communicating with the electrodes 21 and 22 areattached and detached during' the heating and priorto giving theseparator a rotary motion.

The electrodes may be of any desired metal or composition of fusibleconductive substance selective to absorb or dissolve the metal to beseparated or secured from any ore or to reduce or deoxidize the oremetal compound. The fusibility ofthe electrodes controls and governs'the temperature at the reduction or disintegrating zone in that theyfuse and'run away at selective temperaturesand thus avoidoverheating andvolatilization which might otherwise occur in metal of the ores if thetemperature should be too high. These fusible electrodes thereforeaccomplish several important and valuable results in conjunction withthe electric current, such as disintegrating the ore body or matrix,seizing the ore metal, and maintaining a temperature at approximatelythat at which .the electrode melts, so that by regulating the fusibilityof the electrodes by employing independent metals or mixtures havingsuperior aiiinity for the metal of the ore and selective melting pointsbelow the volatilizing point of the ore metal desired it can be alloyedor secured by the fused electrode and carried down lnto the metalreservoirv of the ore disintegrating and metal separat-I ing furnace.

Lead or other .immiscible metal separating vehicle may be used oremployed. The melting point of the metal ymay be reduced or it may bedissolved or liquefied below itsnormal melting point and the reducing ordeoxidizing power of the-electrode enhanced by its association withsubstances having such` superior aflinity for oxygen or othernonmetallic elements combined with the ore metal to be reducedandseparated, such as aluminium, calcium, etc# individually orcollectively.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is l. ,The process of securing metal from orewhich comprises exposing the metal-containpoint metal immiscible withthe hi ing ore to the progressive action of'a substantially high meltingpoint metal and electricity and a comparatively low melting gh meltlngpoint metal and having a superior ainity for the ore metal securedthereby and finally recovering the desired ore metal from the metalvehicle or carrier.

2. The process of securing metal from ore which comprises exposing themetal-containing ore to the progressive action of a substantially highmelting point metal electrode and electricity and a comparatively lowmelt- .ing point metal immiscible with the high melting point metal andhaving a superior affinity for ore metal secured thereby and finallyrecovering the desired ore metal from the final metal vehicle orcarrier.v

3. The process of securing metal from ore, which comprises supplying oreto an electric arc between depending fusible electrically conductivematerials capable of reducing the i.

ore metal compound and seizing the ore Copies c!l this pstent 'may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. C.

metal, and reducing and securing the metal from the ore while fallingfrom an u'pper to a' lower level.

4. The process of. securing metal from ore, which comprises supplyingore to'an electric are between depending fusible metal capable ofreducing the ore metal compound and seizing the ore metal, and reducingand securing the metal from the` ore while falling from an upper to a.lower level.V

5. The process of securing metal from ore,

-which .comprises vsupplying oie to an electric arc between dependingiron conductor-send of the 'ore associated recovering the metal withiron while lfallin lower level.

AIn testimon whereof I affix my signature in presence o two Witnesses.

JAMES HENRYREID. [1.. 8.] i

Witnesses:

Y CHAS. C. LANE,

ELMER E. SULLIVAN.

from an upper to a Commissioner of Patents,

